Impact of immunohistochemical expression of kinesin family member 18A (Kif18A) and β-catenin in infiltrating breast carcinoma of no special type

BACKGROUND

KIF18A is a regulator of the cell cycle that stimulates the proliferation of cancer cells. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is involved in different issues' carcinogenesis and is being examined as a therapeutic target. The relationship between KIF18A and β-catenin in breast cancer was not previously investigated. Therefore, this work aims to study the immunohistochemical expression and correlation of KIF18A and β-catenin in breast-infiltrating duct carcinoma (IDC) and their relation to prognosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Slides cut from paraffin blocks of 135 IDC and 40 normal breast tissues were stained by KIF18A and β-catenin antibodies. KIF18A cytoplasmic or nucleocytoplasmic staining and β-catenin aberrant expression either nucleo-cytoplasmic or cytoplasmic staining were considered.

RESULTS

Normal breast tissue and IDC showed a significant difference regarding KIF18A and aberrant β-catenin expression. High KIF18A and β-catenin H score values were associated with poor prognostic factors such as high grade, advanced stage, distant metastasis, high Ki67 status, and Her2neu-enriched subtype. There was a significant direct correlation between KIF18A and β-catenin as regards percent and H score values. Prolonged overall survival (OS) was significantly associated with mild intensity and low H score of KIF18A, and low β-catenin H score.

CONCLUSIONS

KIF18A could be involved in breast carcinogenesis by activating β-catenin. Overexpression of KIF18A and aberrant expression of β-catenin are considered proto-oncogenes of breast cancer development. KIF18A and β-catenin could be poor prognostic markers and predictors of aggressive behavior of breast cancer.

The global burden of women's cancers: a grand challenge in global health

Every year, more than 2 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer, yet where a woman lives, her socioeconomic status, and agency largely determines whether she will develop one of these cancers and will ultimately survive. In regions with scarce resources, fragile or fragmented health systems, cancer contributes to the cycle of poverty. Proven and cost-effective interventions are available for both these common cancers, yet for so many women access to these is beyond reach. These inequities highlight the urgent need in low-income and middle-income countries for sustainable investments in the entire continuum of cancer control, from prevention to palliative care, and in the development of high-quality population-based cancer registries. In this first paper of the Series on health, equity, and women's cancers, we describe the burden of breast and cervical cancer, with an emphasis on global and regional trends in incidence, mortality, and survival, and the consequences, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged women in different settings.

Influence of Hormone Receptor Status on Spinal Metastatic Lesions in Patients with Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVE

Bony metastasis predominantly affects the spinal column and has been commonly associated in patients with breast cancer. There are two types of lesions that can occur with spine cancer-osteolytic or osteoblastic. Some patients may have mixed lesions, which include lytic and blastic in one vertebra or lytic and blastic in different vertebrae. Previous studies have shown that patients with breast cancer have an increased likelihood for development of lytic spinal metastases.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was conducted to more closely examine the association between hormone receptor status and spinal lesion type. A total of 195 patients were initially identified through the City of Hope Cancer Registry. Of the 195, only 153 patients had hormone receptor marker status available. Associations between spinal lesion and hormone receptor status were evaluated using χ(2) tests with alpha = 0.05 significance level. In a secondary analysis, the Oncomine Platform was used, which integrated The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets, to identify osteogenic genes that may be relevant to invasive breast cancers.

RESULTS

Contrary to previous studies, our findings revealed progesterone receptor positive (PR+) patients were significantly more likely to present with blastic than lytic or mixed lesions. Furthermore, using TCGA analysis, COL1A1 and COL1A2 were found to be up-regulated, which could provide a molecular explanation for the development of blastic metastases.

CONCLUSIONS

By integrating clinical and bioinformatic techniques, this study provides a novel discovery of the relationship between blastic and PR + breast cancers, which may have important implications for diagnostic strategies concerning vertebral metastases.